Morning journal and courier., 1887-06-25
The New ssAir> Line

Many west side property owners in that
part of the city through which the proposed
line of the new New York, Connecticut and
Eastern railway runs have been much dis
turbed by receiving formal printed notices
from the eompany's Office that their lots are
touched by the proposed line, q map of
which was filed at the registers Office on
May gath last. The map marks down as
subject to appropriation for depot grounds
all that large triangle which lies between the
Boulevard, Ninth avenue and Fifty ninth
street. From point near the junction of
Ninth avenue and the Boulevard the line
cuts diagonally into the blocks between
Ninth and Tenth avenues, and runs parallel
to the Boulevard, cutting through the mid
die or a little to the east of the middle of the
blocks to about Seventy fourth street, where
| it crosses the Boulevard, and runs PARALLEL
with it again on the west. This is the pro-
posed rapid transit line to Boston, over
which trains are to be run, covering the dis
| tance between the two cities in about three
hours.
Managing Director Lindsay said yesterday
| that the greatest pains possible had been
taken to so run the line as to do as little
damage to private property as possible. just
how much of the triangle between the Boul-
evard, Ninth avenue and Fifty-ninth street
would be taken for a depot ground he was
| unable to say. 1t was the design to erect the
depot at point where there could be best
| made a connection with the surface and the
elevated railroads, it being desirable to con-
meet the depot platform with the elevated
railroad platform in some such manner as
| they are now connected at the Grand Central
station. The entire triangle between the
streets named he said would not be necessary
to do this, but the company embraced the
entire triangle in its map showing the pro-
posed appropriations, so as to be able to take
such portion of it and as much of it was
wanted.
The structure on which the tracks would
run he said would be about forty feet wide,
allowing space for double tracks, and would
be built of solid masonry to about the height
above the street of the elevated railway
tracks The street crossings would be
bridsed at proper height as they are bridged
on the New York Central line above the tun-
nels. Mr.. Lindsay said they expected the
usual outcry which comes when railroads ap-
propriate property in this city, and he said
the damage to real estate would be as imag-
mary as that which was predicted for the
property along Sixth avenue when the first
serious talk about the elevated railway be-
gan. very large number of the lots
crossed by the proposed line between Ninth
and Tenth avenues are now vacant although
the large triangle booked for the depot
grounds is pretty solidly built up with brick
buildings.
1t was the desire if possible, Mr.. Lindsay
said, to have the depot building front on the
circle at the southwest corner of Central
Park, and it was proposed to erect struc-
ture which would be worthy of the place.
Mr.. Lindsay would not deny that he had
heard of the New York, New Haven and
Hartford and New York and New England
lines coming in over the tracks of the pro-
h,1k haI hna
proposition made, OF hint of a proposition,
from either of those companies. 1t was al
together too early now to consider that; there
would be time enough when the proposed
new road was further advanced toward being
built. No doubt the new road would be glad
enough to let the above named lines in over
its track if they were willing to pay for the
privilege.
Mr.. Staunton E. Riker, who for years has
been large real estate dealer in the upper
part of the city, said that the proposed new
line was something he had not heard of until
yesterday, and he had not the remotest faith
that it would or could ever be brought into
the city over the line proposed.
eff the scheme is a genuine one,' said
Mr.. Riker, "the men who are at the head
of it must have very inadequately meas
ured the depth of opposition it will evoke
or they never would have gone into it. 1t
would simply be terrific blow to some of
Cne ValuaDlo real estate interests III Ln6
city. 1t would cost the company more
money to get down through those streets to
the corner of Central Park than the line
would be worth. If 1 owned property there
and received notice from the company that
their line was laid down through my lots, !
should pay not the slightest attention to it.
1t would take many year, even with things
as they now, before the right of way
could be obtained, and with every year, as
the value of property increases, the opposi-
tion will be stronger. There is no reason to
suppose that the New Haven road would
come in over the proposed line, for no matter
what the terms of the contract between that
company and the New York Central are, the
public interest is that the New England
trains come in where they do. Instead of
any more depots being built down in the
| heart of the city, I look to see the Grand
| Central depot go up above the Harlem river
before many years. 1t has been steadily
working up town ever since it was at Cham
be-s street, and there will eventually be erect
| ed up about Fordham a depot structure into
| which the Harlem, New York Central and the
| New England lines will come, and probably
permanently remain with that point as the
| common terminus"